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Post by Water_Tengu on Oct 29, 2007 20:47:19 GMT -5
I'll admit that I just recently (well, in the last year) learned that it's proper sushi etiquette to pick up nigiri with the fingers, flip it upside-down and dip the fish side... Hehehe well then apparently I've been doing it wrong. Fingers, you say? I just pick it up with chopsticks and eat it (I don't use soy sauce - don't like it and can't have the salt). then you are correct in etiquette, and it is considered to be correct to use either fingers or chopsticks
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Saionji Shonagon
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Oct 29, 2007 20:48:40 GMT -5
I'll admit that I just recently (well, in the last year) learned that it's proper sushi etiquette to pick up nigiri with the fingers, flip it upside-down and dip the fish side... Thanks, now I'm jonesing for maguro.....
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bovil
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Post by bovil on Oct 29, 2007 20:49:52 GMT -5
I'll admit that I just recently (well, in the last year) learned that it's proper sushi etiquette to pick up nigiri with the fingers, flip it upside-down and dip the fish side... Hehehe well then apparently I've been doing it wrong. Fingers, you say? I just pick it up with chopsticks and eat it (I don't use soy sauce - don't like it and can't have the salt). Most sushi (like asparagus and meat-on-the-bone) can be eaten with the fingers without breaking etiquette rules. Some, though, is just too impractical or messy. The nigiri flip is for two reasons. If you dip the fish side, it only picks up a tiny bit of soy, and the rice doesn't fall apart. Drenching your sushi rice in soy is bad form.
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Post by Water_Tengu on Oct 29, 2007 21:30:53 GMT -5
hai, hai
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Post by Please Delete on Oct 29, 2007 21:44:17 GMT -5
Everything you (don't) need to know about eating sushi: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rjYVSvVUJcRegarding flavors, though--Japanese can have both strong and subtle flavors. Compare sushi and the like to shiokara, natto, and even a lot of the more modern beef dishes. Their love of sharp pickles--especially pickled ginger--seems anything but subtle to me! I think all cultures have a combination of strong and subtle flavors that make their cuisine what it is. -Ii
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madyaas
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Post by madyaas on Oct 30, 2007 2:27:23 GMT -5
Everything you (don't) need to know about eating sushi: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rjYVSvVUJcRegarding flavors, though--Japanese can have both strong and subtle flavors. Compare sushi and the like to shiokara, natto, and even a lot of the more modern beef dishes. Their love of sharp pickles--especially pickled ginger--seems anything but subtle to me! I think all cultures have a combination of strong and subtle flavors that make their cuisine what it is. -Ii And also one of their favorite convenience foods: Curry Rice (from mild to hot), which I first found surprising given the "traditional" stuff is very light on seasoning. I think you're right about strong flavors in all cultures. Even Korean food, which is usually known for hot and spicy is usually accompanied by rather subtle side dishes. People would get bored if all of their food was of one texture and one degree of seasoning.
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bovil
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Post by bovil on Oct 30, 2007 2:49:21 GMT -5
Compare sushi and the like to shiokara, natto, and even a lot of the more modern beef dishes. I have not had the courage to try natto. When "the Chairman" on IC waxed rhapsodic over how to properly stir natto so the goo forms into threads it just did me in.
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Saionji Shonagon
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Oct 30, 2007 8:36:59 GMT -5
I have not had the courage to try natto. When "the Chairman" on IC waxed rhapsodic over how to properly stir natto so the goo forms into threads it just did me in. It's got to be an acquired taste. Out of curiosity, a friend and I once ordered a natto roll at Isobune in Oakland. Curiosity has been satisfied and now I never have to eat it again. Their ume/kyo roll (pickled plum and cucumber), on the other hand, is a keeper.
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Post by solveig on Oct 30, 2007 10:05:28 GMT -5
Noble Cousin! Greetings from Solveig! I have not had the courage to try natto. When "the Chairman" on IC waxed rhapsodic over how to properly stir natto so the goo forms into threads it just did me in. Actually, natto is reasonably good. I voluntarily buy the stuff. Now the stuff that looks and more or less tastes like snot is another matter. I have eaten it, but I have no great desire to purchase the stuff.
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Post by Water_Tengu on Oct 30, 2007 11:11:05 GMT -5
natto??
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madyaas
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Post by madyaas on Oct 30, 2007 12:45:16 GMT -5
Fermented Soybeans. Some would say "rotten soybeans".
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bovil
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Post by bovil on Oct 30, 2007 13:50:14 GMT -5
Actually, natto is reasonably good. I voluntarily buy the stuff. Now the stuff that looks and more or less tastes like snot is another matter. I have eaten it, but I have no great desire to purchase the stuff. I've had friends tell me they think uni (sea urchin roe) looks and tastes like snot, but to me it looks like butterscotch pudding (or mousse) and while I can't describe what it tastes like, "snot" is on my list of things it doesn't taste like.
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bovil
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Post by bovil on Oct 30, 2007 13:52:08 GMT -5
It's got to be an acquired taste. Out of curiosity, a friend and I once ordered a natto roll at Isobune in Oakland. Curiosity has been satisfied and now I never have to eat it again. Their ume/kyo roll (pickled plum and cucumber), on the other hand, is a keeper. I had a friend turn me on to ume-shiso maki; just ume paste and shiso leaf in a small maki. It's really good.
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madyaas
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Post by madyaas on Oct 30, 2007 14:18:30 GMT -5
they'll put sugar in their green tea or order soda, and they'll just dump soy sauce and stuff all over their food as soon as they get it without tasting it first. Sugar in green tea is just wrong. However, you'll take my diet coke away from me when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers. I shamelessly order diet soda at Japanese restaurants. If we're going to complain about that, we should also complain about the delicious cocktails that Barracuda in San Francisco offer with their Japanese food . I know you're not dead serious here, but such a thing is something that I think is much more improper than sweetened green tea, sushi soaked in soy sauce or soda ordered with dinner. Your manners at the table with others are as important as your manners with your food. Which is why I think sushi chefs will never visually get upset over it even if it pains them to see it happen (well, unless they're brusque and rude). If I know someone has such a personal problem with my preferences at dinner, I tend to do exactly what drives them crazy. Call it my contrary nature. Bovil dixit: Something I always found interesting was, that despite being at a hub of trade (Arab, Malaysian, Indonesian, Chinese, and even Vietnamese and Japanese traders), the Philippines really doesn't have a tradition of strong spices. Most of the food is flavored with soy, which came with the Chinese, and vinegar. Vinegar tends to be the strong component of the cuisine. Subtleness is usually found in the sour soups, flavored with tamarind. Chili does get used, but it's a subtle thing in only one relatively universal Philippine dish I can think of, Dinuguan (pork blood stew). Chili peaves are also used as a vegetable (I'd say moreso than the fruit). However, the Bicolanos are known for liking spicy food paired with coconut milk.
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bovil
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Post by bovil on Oct 30, 2007 15:24:59 GMT -5
Fermented Soybeans. Some would say "rotten soybeans". Seriously, the least food-like substance commonly consumed by the Japanese, and a popular breakfast staple.
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